The Story So Far
by celtic-twinkie
Summary: Elizabeth Cousland has a secret. Nathaniel Howe is determined to get to the bottom of it all. 3 Parter. Please review!  Not associated with any other fanfic, I just like the name Elizabeth btw


Chapter One  
Location: The Arling of Amaranthine

The Warden-Commander was harboring a secret—a fact that irritated Nathaniel Howe to no end.

After all, he was her second-in-command, wasn't he? Through the months of killing darkspawn together, working to save Amaranthine from the Darkspawn, corrupt bandits and restoring order, he'd come to greatly esteem Elizabeth Cousland. Any resentment he might've had towards her for killing his father was gone. She'd given him back his dignity and a purpose in life.

As of now, the Darkspawn were defeated and the Keep was well on its way to being rebuilt. Trade was flowing smoothly and bandits no longer plagued the Arling. However, Elizabeth still spent too much time caught up in the minutiae of every bloody single aspect of rebuilding and governing, in Nathaniel's opinion. She was the fixed point of the whole effort; masons, carpenters, trade representatives and dignitaries lined up to consult with her on one matter or another.

Yet something was _off_. Nathaniel wasn't the only one to notice the dark circles under her eyes. The servants informed Varel that her food trays went untouched, and she spent an inordinate amount of time prowling the Keep battlements at odd hours. She'd also taken to riding into the city of Amaranthine several nights a week, _alone_, often not returning until the early hours of the morning.

Varel had tried to ask what was going on, but she'd merely fixed her trusted Seneschal with that particular _look_—the one that plainly stated anyone stupid enough to bring it up again did so at their peril. The Commander could share a joke with subordinates, but cross that line, and _boy_, the resulting stream of curses aimed at the poor sod was so inventively foul, it would make a Riviani pirate _blush_. You did not want to get on the Commander's bad side.

Nathaniel couldn't explain why the Commander's reticence bothered him so much. After all, she was entitled to her privacy. Had she taken a lover? The thought of her naked and entwined in someone's arms drove him out of his mind with jealousy. However, a lover didn't explain why the spark that usually lit up her striking grey eyes was noticeably absent as of late; her eyes were desolate, as if she'd given up all hope. It made absolutely no sense. Nathaniel could think of no rational reason why Elizabeth looked so miserable all the time.

The next time she went on one of her nightly jaunts, Nathaniel decided to follow her. He'd already positioned himself at the City gates, hiding in the shadows and waiting for her to arrive. Though she was dressed in nondescript clothing, Nathaniel immediately recognized her brown mare (whom she called Sam) trotting through the City gates. Her hood was drawn over her face, but she dismounted and handed Sam's reins over to the city guard on duty (a definite benefit to being Arlessa and Warden Commander) and headed directly into the city proper.

Nathaniel immediately followed, several paces behind as she made her way to a less reputable part of town and entered a seedy tavern called _The Barking Cat._ Nobody in the tavern even batted an eyelash when she sauntered in and immediately headed up the stairs and down a long hallway to an isolated room. She took out a key and unlocked a door and closed it discreetly behind her, disappearing into the room.

Was she coming to meet her lover here? Nathaniel frowned. Surely her purported lover would at least be able to afford a decent Inn in which to woo the Commander. This place was barely a step up from the alleyway. Nevertheless, he was determined to find out exactly what was going on. The hallway was deserted so Nathaniel inched closer and began to eavesdrop. The heavy wooden door was thick, but he was able to overhear a few snatches of conversation.

"_Still alive…"_

"_Find him…he must die…"_

Straining to hear more, Nathaniel leaned closer to the door, which abruptly whipped open and Nathaniel suddenly found himself in a chokehold with a wickedly sharp dagger placed against his neck.

Nathaniel's assailant jerked him inside. "You know this man?" the stranger spat out.

"He's my Second." Elizabeth replied impatiently, and the cloaked man let Nathaniel go. "Are you bloody kidding me, Nathaniel? Why are you following me?"

Nathaniel only raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms. "This is your secret lover?" he asked sardonically. "The Dark Wolf?"

Elizabeth shook her head in disbelief. "Where did you get that ridiculous notion?"

The Dark Wolf bowed rakishly. "I believe this is my cue to leave," he said in an amused voice and exited the room.

Elizabeth and Nathaniel barely noticed his retreat as they continued to glare at each other.

"Secretive late night trips to the City? What else was I supposed to think?"

Elizabeth shook her head, obviously unwilling to talk about it. "Why do you care? Are you _jealous_?"

"Where your safety and well-being is concerned, I _make_ it my business."

Elizabeth's mouth dropped open in shock at his bald (and rather possessive) statement. _Shit._ She was pissed. Nathaniel braced himself for a verbal tirade.

However, she only sauntered closer to him and glanced at him mockingly. His breath hitched as she seductively ran her finger down his leather-clad chest. "I already made the mistake of getting involved once; I won't make it again. You have no claim on me, Nathaniel. So _back off_!"

She abruptly shoved him back; but he spun her against him and pushed her onto the bed. Nathaniel immediately climbed on top of her, holding her hands over head and rubbed his aching erection against her core until she subsided against him with a huff of indignation.

"You dare!" She hissed.

"We both know I could pleasure you until you begged me to slide every inch of my cock inside you," he murmured, then let her go with an insolent laugh.

For once the Warden-Commander had nothing to say as she levered herself off the bed and stormed out of the room.

* * *

Things went back to normal after that, at least for a few days. Elizabeth avoided Nathaniel, throwing herself back into her work with a vengeance. And Nathaniel let her have her space, however, he continued to stay alert for anything out of the ordinary.

And one night, it happened. A lone rider galloped furiously towards Vigil's Keep in the inky black of night, and was immediately granted access when it was determined the rider bore an urgent message for the Warden-Commander.

The missive was quickly delivered to Elizabeth, who scanned the message quickly with a grim expression, then threw the missive into the fireplace. She grabbed her cloak and immediately headed to the stables, quickly saddled up Sam and galloped off into the night.

A stable hand, alarmed at the Warden Commander's rather abrupt departure, immediately dashed to Nathaniel's room and apprised him of the situation. Nathaniel wasted no time; flinging his clothes on, he ordered a horse readied and two Keep soldiers to accompany him, immediately. Whatever the Commander faced, Nathaniel imagined she would require backup.

A few minutes later, three horses galloped in the direction the Commander had taken.

If Nathaniel could reach her in time; it might not be too late.

* * *

_A/N: Yes it's another Nathaniel story! It's a three-parter that I wanted to get done before the release of DA2. Consider it my valentine to the wonderful Nathaniel Howe, whom is one of my favorite DA characters of all times. I hope you enjoy it! As always, reviews and comments are always welcome!_

___Apparently, I'm great at starting stories; and absolute crap at finishing them._

___Thanks to my lovely beta b, who untangles the mouthful of silly phrases I tend to write._

_The Dragon Age franchise is property of Bioware. _


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